Simplifying Online Shopping (and Saving)

As you probably already know, our family loves to shop online and we love to save money. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know most of the benefits of shopping online already, but humor me for a bit because I may teach you a thing or two about simplifying your online shopping experience and save you some money along the way.

When I say “simplifying” I really mean saving money online by using a few specific tools rather than browsing around for hours trying to find a good deal. This is NOT a sponsored post and the only tools I’m sharing are ones we use ourselves. So…if you see something in the following paragraphs, know we actually use it ourselves and believe in it.

Warning: if you are shopping (whether in a store or online), please stick to your budget and don’t buy 14,000 of something when you need one, just because you found a good deal on it. Otherwise you’ll break your budget and end up with a bunch of junk around your house. Understood? Okay, let’s dive in.

Honey

Let’s start off with the most recent tool I’ve found and fallen in love with: Honey. In its most basic form, Honey is a browser extension that automatically searches for coupon codes whenever you’re checking out at most of the major online stores. Basically, once you install Honey, you hit a little button and Honey looks for any discounts to apply for you. Simple and awesome.

There are only two downsides I’ve found: 1) It only works on your computer for now (sorry, not yet on mobile) and 2) it doesn’t work on every browser (it works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera at the time of this writing). You don’t have to register or any of that jazz, so it is a win-win in my opinion. To learn more, visit http://www.joinhoney.com.

Retailmenot

Retailmenot is one of those websites you should continuously think of whenever you’re shopping online. Why? Because all the site (they also have a mobile app) does is compile promo codes, coupons, and discounts for various online shopping sites. Let’s say you’re shopping at target.com. You can go to http://www.retailmenot.com, type in TARGET in the search bar and see all the current coupons, promos, etc. going on for their website. A lot of them won’t apply and you’ll sometimes end up with a code that doesn’t work, but for the 30 seconds invested, you can often save some money and it makes it totally worth it.

There are lots of other sites like Retailmenot: Slickdeals.com, CouponCodes.com, etc. but it seems they aren’t as accurate or up to date as Retailmenot. No matter what site you’re using to grab a coupon code – the key is to always look for a coupon code before you check out at the online store at which you’re shopping.

Amazon

We are big fans of both Amazon Prime and Amazon Subscribe and Save and Stacy has written about both in the past. These are slightly different than coupon codes in that you pay a fee up front for full-year discounts or agree to a “subscription” to receive a discount. I won’t go into a lot of details on these but I will recommend you check out the posts Stacy has written about them and consider if you shop at Amazon enough to make these benefit you. For us, they save us lots of money and let us receive our packs of toilet paper without ever leaving home. #awesome

eBay

One last place I often look before buying something is eBay. eBay started out as an auction site, but it has become an online marketplace similar to Amazon only with fulfillment handled by individual sellers instead of centralized warehouses. A lot of things are cheaper on eBay than anywhere else, but a lot of things are more expensive. So…normally if I’m looking for something that’s basically a commodity product (a charging cord, for example), I’ll check Amazon and eBay to see which is cheaper (including shipping). Just a thought…

Our world is filled with awesome technology that has made it possible to quickly and easily buy something from someone anywhere in the world, pay for it, and have it at your doorstep within a few days. This technology has also made it possible to quickly and easily shop around. If you install Honey or check Retailmenot, or hit up Amazon or eBay, you’ll often find you can save a ton of money on just about anything you might want to buy.

Your turn: what tools do you use to save money when shopping online?

Related

Get Notified About New Content!

Email Address:*

Please enter all required fields

Correct invalid entries

No spam, ever. Promise.

About Barry

Barry is the husband half of the Humorous Homemaking team. He speaks and writes about personal finance issues, helping people get out of debt, live on a budget and make the most of every cent that comes into their hands. He is the author of From Debtor to Better: The Details of Debt and How to Get Out! and regularly speaks at conferences and other events.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Comment Policy: I love reading your thoughts and input on what you read here. I'm sure we'll disagree sometimes and that's okay! In those cases, do what's right for you and yours. As with any form of communication, only post comments that move the discussion in a positive direction.

I also use Ebates, not a lot of cash back, but something’s better than nothing. I have a Amazon credit card that gives me points where ever I am using it (keep it only for online with a small limit) Love Prime…for the savings, the shipping, the movies, books, etc. We have a Firestick and have cut the cord on cable…yeah!!
So I think Stacy mentioned Jungle Deals and Steals which I check too. And I usually just “Google” a place if I am shopping somewhere else for coupons or promo’s.
Thanks for your great tips…am a big fan of both you and Stacy!

I believe God created you to be the hero of your home. You CAN manage your home instead of it managing you. That’s why I empower women with simple solutions for their homemaking needs – because if it’s not easy, you won’t do it. {Read More…}

Unfortunately, before the government will let me send you anything, you’ll need to check your email for a message I just sent you and confirm your subscription. This will also make sure you get the handy-dandy, free resource I promised.